1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a device capable of near-field communication, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus in which a device capable of near-field communication receives a service from an external network using a communication function of a device capable of accessing the external network.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the growing use of Consumer Electronics (CE) devices capable of near-field communication, such as MP3 players, Portable Multimedia Players (PMPs), game consoles and notebook computers, users are seeking convenient ways to download content.
Generally, a user searches for content playable in a CE device and then downloads the content over the Internet using a Personal Computer (PC). Subsequently, to download and play the content, the CE has to connect to the PC via a dedicated cable. At present, near-field communication such as Bluetooth® can be used in place of a dedicated cable and enables sharing of content among devices.
Still, however, there is a limited number of ways for a CE device to directly access the external network. For example, some CE devices may access the Internet using Wireless-Fidelity (WiFi) in the spots where Access Points (APs) are installed, but they cannot access the Internet in the spots with no AP installed. To reduce such inconveniences, there is a need for a method in which devices capable of near-field communication but incapable of directly accessing the external network can access the external network through a gateway, allowing users to utilize desired services, such as content downloading. To meet the needs, Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) in charge of standardization of applications has proposed Converged Personal Network Service (CPNS).
CPNS refers to a service in which one personal network is formed, which is a combination of a device serving as a gateway in charge of communication with an external network and a device for actually playing service and content with access to a service/content provider existing in the external network through the device serving as a gateway, thereby allowing a user to utilize the service or content. In CPNS, a device serving as a gateway is called a Personal Network Gateway (PN gateway), and a device being connected to the PN gateway by near-field communication and accessing the external network via the PN gateway is called a Personal Network Entity (PNE). In addition, a Personal Network server, which serves to provide content and service of the external network to a device in the personal network upon request of the PN gateway, is called a CPNS server. Generally, the PN gateway may include a mobile phone or a PC, and the PNE may include a PMP and an MP3 player.
In CPNS, a PNE sends a request message for a desired service to a PN gateway using near-field communication. The PN gateway relays the service request message to a CPNS server in a provider network. The CPNS server identifies what service the PNE desires to access, and then sends a service request message to a service/content provider in charge of the service. Upon receiving the service request message, the service/content provider provides the service or content to the PNE via the PN gateway.
Generally, since users of a PN gateway and a PNE constituting a personal network are the same, the personal network can be formed without considering charging for use of CPNS service or content. PNEs, i.e., CE devices such as an MP3 player and a PMP, do not have PNE subscriber information, but a PN gateway such as a mobile phone has subscriber information of a CPNS user, so a CPNS server can charge for use of CPNS, using this information. Therefore, after simply checking whether the PNE is its registered device, the PN gateway may create a personal network and provide CPNS.
However, billing-related problems may occur, when one personal network is formed using PNEs and one PN gateway, users of which are different. For example, such problems may occur when one personal network is formed using a game console owned by a user A and a game console and a mobile phone owned by a user B, and the users A and B participate in the same game being provided from the CPNS server via the mobile phone of the user B. In this case, even though both the users A and B are receiving CPNS, only the user B of the mobile phone serving as a PN gateway is charged, for the following reasons. Since a game console, or a PNE, of the user A does not have subscriber information about the user A, the CPNS server cannot identify the user A, thus charging the user B for use of CPNS. Accordingly, the user B of the mobile phone, or a PN gateway, uniquely having subscriber information in the personal network may be charged even for use of CPNS content by the user A.
If devices having different users are prohibited to form one personal network for these reasons, the users may experience considerable inconvenience in accessing resources of the external network via the personal network. In addition, if different personal networks are formed for different users, use of network resources and resources of PN gateways may increase.